Lights Folder

The Lights folder on the DisplayManager lists information about the lights applied to the current model.

To display this folder:

On the DisplayManager click View Scene, Lights, and Cameras and expand the Lights folder.

When PhotoView 360 is added in, the Lights folder is renamed to SOLIDWORKS Lights and a PhotoView 360 Lights folder also appears. While point, spot, and directional lights and sunlight appear in both folders, the best way to light your model in PhotoView 360 is to use the Primary PhotoView 360 Lighting.

Lighting Indicators

Lighting controls are separate for SOLIDWORKS and PhotoView 360.

SOLIDWORKS

By default, point, spot, and directional lights are on in SOLIDWORKS.

Scene lighting is not possible in RealView, so you often need to illuminate models manually.

PhotoView 360

By default, individual lights are off.

Lighting in PhotoView 360 comes from the Primary PhotoView 360 Lighting (scene environment). The scene environment is an HDR (High Dynamic Range) image that surrounds the scene spherically, creating realistic light and reflections.With lights off, you can use the realistic lighting provided by scenes, which is usually sufficient for rendering. You typically need additional lighting in PhotoView 360 only to illuminate occluded spaces in the model.

The icons for specific lights in this image from the Scene, Lights, and Cameras pane of the DisplayManager have the following meanings:

Lights Folder Context Menu

Right-click the Lights or SOLIDWORKS Lights folders in the DisplayManager to see the options described in this section.

To see these options in PhotoView 360 Lights, right-click the first light below Primary PhotoView 360 Lighting.

Show Lights

Toggles the display of lights in the graphics area.

Edit All Lights

Opens PropertyManagers for all lights that are defined for the current model. Click Back and Next to navigate between PropertyManagers.

Add Directional Light

Add Point Light

Add Spot Light

Add Sunlight (with PhotoView 360 only)

Adds a directional, point, or spot light and opens the PropertyManager for that type.

If you have PhotoView 360, which is included with SOLIDWORKS Professional and SOLIDWORKS Premium, you can also add a single instance of sunlight, which takes into account location, time, date, and atmospheric conditions.

Collapse Item

Collapses all subnodes under this item.

Collapse All

Collapses all nodes in the Scene, Lights, and Cameras pane.

Expand All

Expands all nodes in the Scene, Lights, and Cameras pane.

Point, Directional, or Spot Light Context Menu

When you right-click a point, directional, or spot light in the DisplayManager, additional options are as follows:

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